February 21, 2008

NFL considers re-seeding playoffs

The NHL has done it for years and the NBA has followed suit, so the NFL is also kicking re-seeding its playoffs.Rich McKay, a member of the NFL's competition committee, said the league would look into it and weigh the pros and cons of such a decision.It comes down to this - the league doesn't want to reward a team with a 9-7 record with a home playoff game all because it won the division title. But they do not want to de-value winning a division championship.Had such a decision been made before this season, it would have affected the New York Giants, which finished with a 10-6 regular-season record. But the Giants opened the playoffs on the road against a Tampa Bay team that finished 9-7, but because it won a "weaker" division it hosted a postseason game.We all know how the rest of the playoffs went; the Giants won their three playoff games on the road, and the Super Bowl as the "away" team.In a re-seeded format, the Giants would have opened at home.